Chapter 114
Chapter 114
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Lucky Agility Boost
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Five consecutive Brigan Limited Quests in a row.
And the permanent stat boosts as rewards.
They were random stat increases out of the six possible stats, and this time, it hit exactly the Agility he'd been hoping for.
'Yes!'
Luke cheered inwardly.
Was this what they called simple happiness?
He was walking with a spring in his step for the first time in a while.
"Huh? I swear I pulled it out of the warehouse before we left. Where'd the golem core go?"
"Wasn't it never there to begin with?"
"No, I definitely... "
Leaving the flustered White Tiger Guild members behind, Luke quickly slipped away from the scene and scaled a nearby building.
The city sprawled out below him in plain view.
Luke scanned the streets below, pondering his next move.
'Alright, so where should I hit up today?'
His stealing spree had continued without fail ever since arriving in Chandler.
His main targets? The Half-Goblin Coalition forces.
'How dare they demand money from me?'
Tolls. Entry fees. Quest usage fees.
The coalition had been running rampant, extorting everywhere they went.
He didn't care if they shook down other players, but the fact that they'd tried to squeeze him too? Unforgivable.
Luke held grudges like nobody's business.
But it wasn't just petty revenge driving his focus on them.
By seizing goblin territory and shaking down the city daily, the coalition always had fat inventories stuffed to the brim.
'So much to steal.'
Prime targets.
A thief couldn't pass up opportunities like these.
Pop!
Poko poked its head out from Luke's backpack just then.
"What do you think, Poko?"
"Poko?"
"Where should we hit today to make waves in the rumors?"
"Poko... Poko!"
Poko's adorable paw.
It pointed toward Chandler's eastern district.
Looking closer, White Tiger Guild members were swarming that area more than anywhere else.
A truly sharp instinct worthy of a spirit beast.
Luke stroked Poko's head in satisfaction.
'Come to think of it, Poko hasn't really grown much since getting Mana Absorption...'
Stagnant growth.
Its Mana stat had spiked once it digested the absorbed mana, but the problem was the lack of ways to use it.
Subspace. Mana Absorption.
That was it—no other skills.
At best, it could pick up items for him or fetch stuff from the backpack.
"You need at least one useful skill."
"Pokoooo..."
"You little rascal."
Luke rubbed Poko's nose, then turned his head.
"Alright, target decided. Time to move out."
Whoosh!
His blue cape fluttered.
His figure plunged downward.
High in the air.
He was free-falling toward the ground.
But there was no need to worry.
He was fully prepared for falls already.
Stealing had gotten a whole lot easier.
He'd noticed it once Scout hit level 3.
Being able to peek at targets' inventories from a decent distance skipped several steps entirely.
After that, he just had to close in and snag the confirmed goods.
'High-level zones really pay off. Everyone's packing serious gear.'
Chandler's average level was around 90.
Thirty levels higher than Jermi.
Of course, the higher levels meant lower steal success rates, but Sneak Mastery and Sleight of Hand covered most of that.
Pretty decent hauls.
Anything not equipped or soulbound was fair game.
'Still kinda disappointing, though.'
Equipped stuff was unavoidable, but soulbound items?
'Soulbound gear doesn't even show up on Scout.'
Something he'd figured out from all his thieving runs.
Even if targets unequipped soulbound gear, it never appeared in Scout.
Why? Because it was already bound.
So it never showed up at all.
'If I could steal those, I'd hit the jackpot...'
Luke eyed the Steal skill window wistfully.
Proficiency deep into the 90s.
Level up was right around the corner.
'Scout's range shot way up on level-up.'
He was already curious.
Steal at level 3—what new effect would it bring?
To find out, he'd need to steal more diligently.
'Ugh. Nothing great today.'
Money-makers.
Useful stuff.
Things that'd help him.
He'd been prioritizing those three, but no big-ticket items yet.
Unlike Jermi, he could break into homes here, but disappointingly, no hidden stashes.
Just daily necessities or furniture at best.
'If only a Night King item dropped.'
New skill acquired.
Night King aura absorbed.
Perfect two-for-one.
Unfortunately, no such luck.
Today's haul: five high-grade items.
The top two would fetch at least 100k at auction.
Not bad. Luke decided to call it good enough.
"What the? My Fist Gauntlets—the ones I bought for sub-weapon yesterday—are gone?!"
"Guys, you seen my weapon?"
"Damn, left my potions in the warehouse again. Hold up here a sec..."
Grumblings were starting among the White Tiger Guild members.
Stealing in bulk might draw suspicion, so time to move on.
'One more, then bounce. Or just bail from the slums entirely.'
"The war's dragging on."
"Yeah, goblins are struggling hard."
"This stalemate's gonna last a while. Wish it'd end soon."
"How long do we have to put up with their bullshit..."
War talk buzzed among passing NPCs and players.
The goblin-Coalition war had turned into a prolonged slog.
The coalition wasn't just "losers" anymore.
Not to mention, the goblins' recent multi-city invasion.
Despite players swarming from all sides, the coalition repelled most of it.
Their morale was sky-high.
Goblins had taken heavy losses from the failed op.
'Ant Nest's paying off big time.'
Frontlines aside, rear cities probably used the tunnels to block invasions.
'Quick response too.'
Couldn't underestimate Benkal, the coalition leader who'd dragged slum losers this far.
'Ugh, that Ant Nest blueprint...'
Then he spotted Poko pulling something from its fur.
'Huh?'
A baguette.
One over twice Poko's size.
Nom nom nom.
Poko was devouring it greedily.
'Who knew the furball loved bread.'
Ever since Kaum territory, Poko had scarfed bread scraps from Luke.
He'd thought it was just hunger at first, but nope—pure bread love.
So it hoarded the various breads he gave it in subspace, snacking in between.
'Did I even give it something that huge?'
Couldn't recall.
As he racked his brain—
'Viscount Chainver?'
Jermi's lord.
Incoming call.
'Scouts again?'
Scouts from Kaum and Jermi lords had ramped up lately.
Iron Mask.
To contact him directly.
Luke figured it was the same and ignored it, but...
Extra persistent today.
'Annoying.'
No choice.
Quick reject it was.
Luke equipped the bracelet.
"What is it?"
-Sorry to keep calling. A scout showed up at the manor.
"I told you before, no scouts."
-This one's a big player.
A glint sparked in Luke's eyes.
"Big player?"
-Yep. The Goblin Guild waging war in the slums right now...
The viscount paused dramatically.
Then dropped the second bombshell.
-And Half-Goblin Coalition scouts showed up at the same time.
"Ah, hope another sucker rolls up like last time?"
"Yeah."
"We scored big off that old geezer in the carriage."
A group of three or four snickered.
Players posted up at a three-way fork.
Coalition thugs—the ones who'd shaken down Jin-hyun recently.
"Shoulda squeezed that guy in the back more."
"Right? That punk's attitude pissed me off."
Chatting away to kill boredom.
"Yo, someone's coming."
A silhouette emerged from the slums.
Prey.
They scrambled down the hill.
Rushed straight for the approaching mark.
That's when—
"Wait, ain't that the dude from the back of the carriage?"
One pointed at the target.
"Huh, now that you mention it."
"No way, it's really him!"
Memories clicked.
Jin-hyun's carriage.
The half-curly haired player riding shotgun.
Now strolling right back into their toll spot.
On foot, no carriage this time.
"That shifty-eyed bastard—definitely him."
"Walkin' solo, huh?"
"Idiot!"
"Regretted letting him slide last time. Lady Luck's smiling now!"
He'd ignored their threats flat-out.
Jin-hyun paid up then, so they let it go. Not this time.
The thugs exchanged glances, then revealed themselves atop the hill.
"Hey, you! Halt!"
"......"
"You're that carriage guy, right?"
"......"
No reply.
Just stared silently.
That attitude grated even more.
The burly thug's face twisted.
He whipped out a massive hammer.
"This fucker ignoring me again? You have no idea who you're—"
Going for the intimidation.
"Hey."
"W-What?"
The silent one finally spoke.
Then—
"Know what the fastest bird in the world is?"
Dropped a weird question outta nowhere.